On the Fence
by MelodicSunshine
Summary: Pearl, after being angered by a certain gem for a very long time, decides to relieve her anger the only way she knows how.
1. Realization

Hearing the sound of the warp pad, Pearl let out a sigh of relief. Garnet, Amethyst, and Steven were out checking the warp pads for the umpteenth time this week. They couldn't risk having any more fixed and having gems that could be potentially harmful teleporting here. But the sigh wasn't because she would have a reassurance of safety. It was because now was the best time to indulge in her favorite pasttime.

Pearl wasn't much for human hobbies. Well, there were some exceptions. Laundry, cleaning, dusting, and many other household activities made up most of her time when the others were here. But those seemed more like chores than actual interests. In fact, there was something more that she was interested in: sword fighting.

Now, Steven has already known that Pearl loved to fight. She was a skilled bladewielder and knew attack methods that could rival any championship fencer. With her lightweight body and her careful and focused movements, she was a rather graceful fighter. But grace wasn't what she looked for in this kind of sword fight. There was a reason she did it while the Gems were away. But before she headed to the battlefield, she didn't grab her ordinary fighting sword. She went over to Steven's bed, opened his signature cheeseburger backpack, and pulled out Rose's sword.

Rose's sword was one of the only things that she kept close to her that reminded her of Rose. The pink blade being a lighter shade of her hair, and the handle fitting Rose's hand so perfectly, she could've sworn she felt the warmth of her hand on it. She stood there for a few moments, guiging her fingers along the blade and making a few practice swings in the air. Finally, she decided to start practicing.

Making her way to the battlefield, she started thinking of new techniques she could use. Maybe something along the lines of an aerial attack, or maybe a slow spinning move. Pearl's weakness in fighting was that she moved too fast, therefore being easy to capture. Not only that, but she would lose coordination from moving so quickly, possibly losing her footing and messing up. But she was still excited to try out these moves. Finally, she stood in the center of her battlefield and began concentrating to make her opponent.

Whenever she fought, she always used Holo-Pearls, holographic projections of herself to fight against. But Pearls weren't the only Gems she could project. After all, Pearls weren't the only thing she fought. There were other holograms too, of other gems. Quartzes, Rubies, and so on. But this time, she had a special hologram that she _loved_ to use. Focusing all her power onto her gem, she finally projected the Gem opponent she wanted.

A burst of light blasted from her gem, and a short hologram of Steven appeared. The figure looked almost lifelike, save for the sky blue color and the robotic voice. The Holo-Steven looked at her with emotionless eyes.

"Would you like to engage in combat?" it asked in a voice that sounded surprisingly similar to Steven's.

Pearl did not respond. She always spent the few moments before she answered figuring out a reason or scenario as to why she would be fighting the hologram. For this special Steven hologram, she rarely needed any time to think of so many reasons. She liked to pretend this hologram was the actual Steven and that she was in a frantic battle with him. The reason being? Even though she would never in her immortal life tell Steven this, she secretly had a very hard grudge and a slight hatred towards the gem boy.

Before Steven was, well, Steven, she had Rose, who was the love of her life. She had utter devotion towards her and needed nobody else except her. Her beauty left her in awe. To her, she was the most wondrous and beautiful creature in the entire galaxy. And it was not just her looks that did it for Pearl. She loved who she was, a wise, curious, fun-loving, and outgoing individual. She was also the one that started the entire gem rebellion, and she had to thank her for that. And that did not change, even when Greg came into her life. Even though he took Rose away from her, she still had somewhat of that same connection they always had. She was still nice, and she was still Rose. But, it actually changed ever since she decided to change into Steven. What Rose had been was now washed away and was made into a young boy that didn't know any better and needed to learn. He wasn't wise, all-knowing, and he certainly wasn't as inspiring as his mother. And that is why Pearl stood there now, ready to fight the hologram version of the boy that took everything away from her. She gripped Rose's sword in her hand.

"Yes, Steven, I wish to fight you." Pearl replied. Suddenly, the Holo-Steven rushed forward, pulling out a holographic sword and pointing it towards the pale gem. She jumped over him, rolling over her shoulder behind him and turning around. Before he could face her, she sprinted towards him, crying out a high pitched war cry. Holo-Steven turned his head, and slashed his blade, but since Pearl was so close, he only managed to hit her on the side of the head with the handle. Her, with the advantage of close proximity took her shot, jumping into the air and pointing the blade downwards, preparing to stab down into the mock Steven. The next thing she saw the him looking upwards, accepting its fate.

She stabbed through him, but she didn't let the hologram fizzle out. Instead, she let him fall to the ground, lying on his back. She began to attack him, even though she had already won and he was already down. It wasn't tactical moves, it was just Pearl continuously stabbing the hologram version of the person that took her Rose away. With every stab, she enunciated every word.

"Why... _*stab*_ did... _*stab*_ you... _*stab*_ take her _*stab*_ away from me?!!" She yelled, her voice now breaking down. She jabbed a couple more times before she finally stopped.

She kneeled down, and took in the sight. The hologram, the thing she had now just maliciously defeated, was the only thing that was preventing her from actually harming the real Steven. This thing that she created herself was the only thing that relieved her stress from the hybrid gem. Guilt sunk into her, as she covered her face, and cried softly. As tears ran down her face, she realized everything she had lost and gained from Steven's existence, and most of it was incredibly depressing. But her cries, which had now turned into sobs, were interrupted when the hologram spoke. This time sounding exactly like Steven's voice.

"Challenger defeated! Would you like to try again?"


	2. Suspicion

Pearl hurried over to Steven's bed, putting the sword back in his backpack. As soon as she zipped the bag shut, the familiar sound of the warp pad was heard. Pearl turned around and saw Garnet stepping off. Pearl greeted her.

"Garnet, how was the warp pad check?" she asked, trying to hide the nervousness in her voice.

"Everything is clear. For now." Garnet replied as she fixed her glasses. Pearl then noticed the absence of the two other gems.

"Where is Amethyst and Steven?" she questioned again. As if on cue, the warp pad lit up once more, revealing both of them. Amethyst walked in first, holding a navy blue gem in her hands. Steven followed behind, bearing a few scratches from whatever battle they had endured whilst checking. But the one thing that was noticed was a large tear on the back of his shirt.

Steven looked up at Pearl and smiled.

"Hey, Pearl!" he exclaimed cheerfully. He looked into Pearl's face, as if expecting her to say something. Her eyes moved over to Amethyst.

"Amethyst, what do you have in your hand?" she asked eyeing the gem curiously. It was navy blue, with a cyan outlining the edges of the gem. The light from the room reflected off of it, giving off a glow that seemed to brighten the room even more.

"Oh, this? We found a corrupted gem near the warp pad. It was clawing at it like crazy. Maybe it wanted to go somewhere. Too late for it now." She said before handing it to Steven. Steven held it out in his hands.

"No, wait, I want to see it up clo--!" Pearl tried to say before Steven bubbled it, sending it to the Bubble Room.

"Oh, sorry Pearl."

"Steven, I wanted to see it."

"I'm sorry," Steven said, seeming a little upset. "I can get it from the Bubble Room."

She sighed. "No, it's fine."

There was a small pause of silence before he finally spoke.

"Don't you want to know what happened to my shirt?" he asked, obviously confused as to why she hadn't spoken about it yet.

"No, I know the corrupted gem must've torn it." She turned to Garnet. "I'm going to my room to organize my things. Make sure the temple stays silent." Garnet's face went from confusion to understanding, and she nodded as Pearl left.

Steven spoke up. "Garnet, do you think there's something different about Pearl?"

He grew kind of suspicious when she had recently been flaking on missions, saying she would take care of the house while everyone else would go. Not only that, but her personality seemed to change as well. Usually, if Steven came back with just a tiny scratch, she would lose it, asking exactly what happened and if she could make it any better. Now, she wasn't even asking if he had fun. She just went and left to her room. But, he cleared that thought away from his head. There must be some reason Pearl doesn't want to go out. Maybe it's because of fear of a certain creature, or maybe she wants to figure out certain strategies in fighting. Garnet kneeled down to face him.

"It's best not to get into her business. Garnet replied. "You don't know if Pearl might be going through something." She hugged him, and walked to her room, leaving only him and Amethyst.

"So, do you want to go hang out in the Bubble Room? I bubbled some fry bits in there. The first one to get to it gets them!" Amethyst said before playfully shoving him and bolting for the room. Steven ran after her, laughing.

'There's nothing to worry about,' he thought. 'Pearl still cares about me.'

Soon enough, he wouldn't know what to believe anymore.

=

 _ **And there is the second chapter! I know not a lot has went down, but trust me, it will get better the more it continues. Please give feedback and plenty of reviews!**_


	3. Planning

Pearl stood on the central waterfall of her room, pacing back and forth. Little ripples appeared each time her feet touched the water. Pearl watched these ripples disappear and reappear with every step, trying to calm herself down. Deciding to organize like she intended to, she made her sword collection appear, showing each individual blade that belonged to her. There were swords the size of daggers, giant greatswords that were so heavy, it was a surprise they didn't land in Amethyst's room by now, and even a double bladed sword, complete with a handle in the center. Each blade was sharpened to perfection, and were ready to use whenever Pearl needed them. She began organizing them by size when she heard loud splashes of water signalling that someone was in her room.

Pearl groaned and turned around, surprised to see that it was not Steven that entered her room, but Garnet. She stepped down from the waterfall that held her treasured swords and walked towards her.

"Pearl." Garnet called to her, crossing her arms.

"Yes, Garnet?" Pearl asked, trying to look behind her glasses to see her emotion.

"You have not been going on missions, and you have neglected to care for the other members. There must be something wrong." She explained, feeling no need to ask questions, but to simply give her the facts.

"Garnet," she started, thinking about what her next words should be. "I... if you want, I can handle the next mission. I can go with you Amythest, and Ste--"

"No." she interrupted. "You'll be going with Steven, and _only_ Steven. There were signs of a second corrupted gem near where the warp pad we checked today. You can go with him, and bring back its gem. Once you do that, I'll be sure to forget how rude you were today."

"Oh, alright. Thank you."

"Alright then, I'll be out with Amethyst. We'll be taking care of the house while you are gone." she said, before she left Pearl's room.

After she was sure Garnet was gone, Pearl let out a loud, stressed sigh. She was in need of a mission, sure, but with Steven? Amethyst or Garnet were more qualified to hunt down a gem beast, especially if it was corrupted. Steven was still learning about his powers and how to use them. Hell, he could barely make his shield appear. How was he supposed to attack if he only had Rose's shield? Of course, he had her sword as well, but she highly doubted that he could even hold the damn thing. Plus, she got very uncomfortable whenever his hand would touch anything that belonged to Rose, including her sword. Pearl sat down in the water, bringing her head to her knees. Suddenly, she heard her door open once more.

"Hey, uh, Pearl?" Pearl didn't need to look up to know who it was. It was obvious with the screechy voice that was nothing like Rose's. It sounded like nails on a chalkboard.

"What do you want, Steven?" she asked, not bothering to lift her head.

"I heard we'll be going on a mission together." The boy said sheeply, tugging at the hem of his still torn shirt.

"Yes. Now, you can go. I have things to organize." Pearl said, insisting for him to leave her alone.

"But, Pearl, can you please fix my shirt? It was torn during the--"

"Steven, I said _leave_!" she said, this time raising her voice. This startled him, and he ran out as soon as she spoke.

After he left, she stood right back up and continued organizing her swords, this time selecting a blade that was just the right size for her, and holding it.

"Yes, this one's perfect," she mumbled to herself.

Hoefully, this mission would go just as she would like.


	4. Acceptance

The next day, Steven awoke excited. After getting changed into a new shirt and packing his backpack, he was raring to go. He just couldn't wait to go on a mission with Pearl! It had been weeks since she had accompanied him on a gem adventure, and he was so happy to finally have her with him.

Pearl meant a lot to Steven, as well as the other gems. She was wise, graceful, and overall a hopeful spirit. Well, at least before she started skipping out on duties. Now she just seemed... off. Steven paid it no mind, of course. Who knows what could be going through Pearl's head? But, that didn't put Steven down. He was going to make this the best mission for her. That way, she could go on missions all the time and he would get the old Pearl back! This day couldn't be any better!

This day couldn't get any worse. Pearl had been deteriorating in her room, her thoughts filled with dread. She had already decided what sword to bring along their adventure. It was a thin but sharp sword, its crystalline base shone brightly in the light of the room. She breathed on it and wiped away any dirt or residue on it, and neatly packed it. She stored it in her gem, the sword disappearing into it. She was ready for the mission physically, but not mentally.

She walked out of her room, spotting Garneg and Amethyst on the couch, obviously waiting for her. She bid them a good morning and went to see if Steven was ready. As expected, he was.

"Good mornin', Pearl! Ready for the best mission ever?" He asked cheerfully, a gleam of hope and anxiousness in his eye. Pearl only nodded, not even giving him a hint of a smile. She turned to the other two gems.

"Take care of everything while we're gone." She commanded.

"And make sure to take care of Lion!" Steven added, pointing outside to where the salmon colored feline slept. They nodded simultaneously, Amethyst showing a bit more enthusiasm than Garnet.

"You two have fun!" She exclaimed. Steven and Pearl finally stepped on the warp pad. He waved to both of them before the light of the pad engulfed them.

They finally arrived to where the beast was last sighted. To Pearl's surprise, it wasn't an area that was recognizable. It seemed to be a sunny rainforest, with tall jungle trees standing proudly. There were vines falling from the branches, some prickly with thorns and some not. In the distance, a seagull's cry could be heard. Beyond the trees, a sliver of water could be seen. Pearl concluded that it was a lake, though trying to get to it would be hard, as there were obstacles around them. Thorned plants, poison ivy, maybe vegetative gems that made this area their home. Luckily, Pearl had picked the right weapon, as she pulled out the sword she had picked earlier.

"Woah! That's a cool sword!" Steven said, watching as Pearl held it in front of her. Pearl still hadn't said anything back, which made him frown. He changed the subject.

"Sooo, how are we going to get through this? I was thinking that we could check the lake, see if that gem is there."

"I can handle this, Steven." She insisted. With one slash, she cut through the vines, making a thud sound as they fell all at once. She continued this action, focusing on the slashing of anything that was in her way. Steven, on the other hand, was thinking of what to say next.

"What are you going to do when you find it?" he asked.

"Just let me handle everything." She demanded. The slashing continued.

"Yeah, but what if it tries to run towards you? It was pretty big, so I don't think you'd get--"

"That's _enough_ , Steven." She snapped. Who was he to hell her what she could and could not do? If Rose was here, she would have insisted on fighting together, knowing each others strengths and weaknesses, and trying to overcome them. He just decided that she just couldn't do it! She tried to continue cutting through, but every so often she slash it in his direction, as a warning not to talk any further.

Steven decided to keep his mouth shut, lest he face Pearl's verbal wrath. With every swing, he got more and more nervous. It was until they had finally made it to the lake. Surrounding it was a small patch of sand. They both stared at it longingly, it reminding them of the ocean at home, but smaller. That inner peace was lost when they heard a loud but unmistakable roar.

They both put up their guard, with Pearl holding up her sword and Steven standing behind her.

'Coward.' She thought. The roar repeated, this time sounding more ferocious. Then, in a matter of seconds, they could both see the corrupted gem beast walking on the other side of the lake.

The beast stood tall, taller than anything either of them had ever seen. If they had to guess, it was about as tall as five Quartz soldiers. Its entire body was govered in forest green fur, the fur being tangled and some patches of it ripped off. Its front legs bear paws, while its hind legs ended in hooves. Its eyes were tiny, black holes in its head replacing actual eyes. Its snout protruded outward, sniffing the air, trying to catch their scent.

Steven, without no hint of him moving, ran dead on towards the monster, preparing for a fight.

'What is he doing?!' She thought. She called out to him. "Steven! Come back!"

He ignored her, and continued running towards it. Suddenly, he pulled out Rose's shield. The green beast roared once again, sprinting. Each footstep felt like an earthquake. He was caught off guard, and he suddenly ducked while running, sliding him right under the brute.

Pearl saw this and jumped forward, watching every move from the beast, until something stopped her dead in her tracks. A voice that called out to her.

'This is it.' The voice said. 'This is the moment where you can finally get redemption. Gain closure from what was lost. You have the power to not save him, let him pay for what he did to Rose.'

She started shaking. The beast had already put its paw on him, pushing him down into the Earth. He started panicking, yelling her name as loud as he could scream it.

What could she do? What could she do? what could she do?

Steven struggled, its paw forcing down more and more, his body soon losing against the battle. Pain burned in his chest, as he could of sworn he felt something crack inside of him. Tears appeared in his eyes, he didn't know what was going to happen. Every breath hurt like hell, and he thought this was the end.

Until a familiar crystal blade penetrated the fiend's head.

It staggered back, taking its paw off of him, allowing him to breathe once more.

It roared a mighty yell that shook both of them to the core. Then, as soon as the sword impacted it, it poofed. A dark green gem fell to the ground, making a dent in the sand. Steven rejoiced.

"Pearl... I'm so happy you saved me." he said breathlessly, tears rolling freely down his cheeks. "I need to go to a hospital. Pearl?"

Pearl did not answer. Instead, she picked up the sword and walked towards the boy.

"Pearl? I need to get to a doctor. You can tell the others what happened, I--"

"Oh, I will tell the others what happened, Steven." Pearl said calmly.

"Oh, good." he sniffled. But she still didn't move. After about a minute of his breathing and Pearl's staring, Steven used another pained breath to question her.

"Are you going to help me?"

A scoff came from the pale gem.

"Why would I help you? You were the person that took my everything away from me! You took Rose away, and I could never forgive you for that!" Her voice raised, a sound of anger escaping.

"That wasn't my fault! It wasn't my choice to be born! Help me, please!"

She stepped back, and walked away where Steven could not see her.

"Pearl, please, please!" he sobbed. "I'm sorry! I am! It hurts, I think my ribs are broken! Save me!"

Pearl started to walk towards the warp pad, a final phrase escaping her lips.

"It's over, isn't it?"


	5. Final Chapter

Warping back to the house, Pearl prepared herself to tell the bad news. Clenching her fists, she rehearsed the words inside her head. But something was wrong. Just as soon as she arrived home, a feeling of unholy guilt penetrated her very being. The actions that had happened only moments ago replayed in her mind. Had she really done it? Had she really left Steven for dead? But there was no time to waste, now was the time to tell the others.

After she arrived at home, she was first spotted by Lion. The large cat looked at Pearl and put on a face of concern. It must've seen that Steven wasn't there. It put its front paws on her, looking up into her eyes, as if asking if she knew where he was. She only petted its pink mane, her eyes giving off a gleam of sadness. Garnet and Amethyst weren't in the living room, so she called out to them.

"Garnet! Amethyst!"

Leaving their rooms, the two gems walked into the living room. Amethyst greeted her with a hug.

"Hey, P! How was you and Steven's adventure?"

Hearing Steven's name made Pearl grit her teeth. Garnet was the first one to ask the question Pearl dreaded to answer.

"Where is Steven?" She asked, her voice holding a hint of concern.

The pale gem gulped, trying to hold herself together. She folded her hands together.

"Well, there was an accident..." She whispered. "Steven and I were on patrol for the corrupted gem. We found it, and it attacked us. I made it out unscathed but..." She started tearing up.

"Pearl..."

Tears flowed from her eyes. No words had to explain the fate of Steven. Were these crocodile tears? Was she just crying to defend her alibi? Or was she truly sickened by what she did? It did not take long for them to ask so many questions.

"What happened to him?"

"Is he alright?"

"Where is he?"

"Why didn't you help him?!" Garnet asked.

"I couldn't! The gem was large enough that it was hard to combat!" Pearl explained herself.

"Then where's the gem?"

"Huh?"

"You were supposed to poof it! You must have the gem." The red gem explained.

"I... uh..." Pearl's blood turned ice cold. She forgot to collect the gem. What was she supposed to do? Go back? Obviously not. But she didn't have the gem proving she and him fought it. Damnit, she was so close!

"Everyone, let's go find Steven." Garnet commanded before she and Amethyst stood on the warp pad. Pearl followed behind them.

"No, wait!"

The device started up, teleporting them back to the jungle where they just were. Pearl felt as though she was in another universe. Her heartbeat quickened, as she was very uneasy. They began to run through the trees until they reached the lake where she left Steven to rot. Each step was torture as a pang of guilt was added with each footprint in the golden sand. She stopped in her tracks, while the others ran ahead of her. She realized that this was the moment where she would lose her friends.

The red and purple gems saw the beast's gem in the sand. Amethyst picked it up and held it out in front of her. As she moved it away, a sick sight was brought before her.

Steven was lying in the sand, his eyes nearly closed but not quite. Tears streaked the boy's cheek as he used whatever strength he had left to continue crying. His shirt had been torn at the sleeve and in the front. The claw that the monster had on his tore through his shirt, leaving a nasty scratch mark across his chest. Dried blood caked on his chin and his mouth, indicating that he probably coughed up blood from his broken ribs. His cherub-like features were ruined by the amount of pain and sadness that he was encased in.

No one spared a word, not even a scream. Both of them walked up to the boy. Garnet placed a hand on his chest, feeling his heartbeat beginning to soften. She removed her glasses, revealing the flow of tears that erupted her three eyes. Amethyst weeped as well, body shaking sobs being one of the sounds in the room other than Pearl's heavy breathing.

"Steven... can you hear me?" Garnet said through hiccups.

He nodded weakly.

"Steven, we can... help you. We're going to get you out of here." She said. He smiled a small smile at her before coughing, a mixture of blood and phlegm escaping his lips.

"Where's Pearl?" he asked weakly. Pearl rushed over to him.

"Steven, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!" Pearl said before finally giving in and clutching him close to him.

Suddenly, she didn't care that Steven had taken Rose away from her. Rose was a beautiful woman with so many things to love about her. Steven wasn't like that at all, but now she knew why. Rose wanted to experience something somewhat like a second life. Getting to see the world through a child's eyes, seeing every sight in absolute wonder and having his mind run while with childish yet creative concepts, gave her so much to live for in his body. Steven dying would be like another part of Rose dying. And the only way Pearl realized that was when that very part of her was being taken away from her.

"Pearl. I have somethin' to say to you."

Pearl looked at him with sad regretful eyes. "Yes?"

"I want you to know that I'm sorry for not being who you wanted me to be. I know I'm nothing like my mom, and I know that you were kinda angry at me for it but," he coughs, another gob of blood flies out of his mouth. "I'm sorry."

That was his last sentence before Steven's eyes finally closed shut for the last time.

Everyone was hysterical. Each gem was their own little mess of tears and confusion.

Amethyst felt she had lost one of her nest friends, the one that she could eat fry bits with, the one that she could just run away with.

Garnet felt that she lost someone who brought a childish glow to herself. He was the one that brought a creative mindset to her as well as a person she could tell stories to.

Pearl felt as though she had lost her only son, the one person she could have held close when she was feeling upset, the person that could have helped her. The child figure she could have had in life.

And at this moment, all of them knew, that in the midst of whether or not they had hated or loved they would be considered...

On the Fence.


	6. Great Announcement!

_**ATTENTION! ALL FANS OF ON THE FENCE!**_

 _ **Do you want to see what happened after Steven's death? Do you want to see how everyone would react after he is gone? Well, look no further! I am going to be making another story as soon as possible. It will be a sequel, explaining all of the emotions some characters felt after the tragedy of On the Fence. However... there is a catch.**_

 _ **I will only do five chapters, each chapter being a different character and their emotions. I will be taking requests to see which characters you would like to be in the sequel. You can enter the requests for the sequel in the reviews or simply PM me! If you haven't finished On the Fence, I suggest you do, since the sequel will not make sense.**_

 _ **Thank you for your support, and give me tons of requests!**_

 _ **~MelodicSunshine**_


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